(Rodova Military Academy, Basement B-1, Basics of Stealth and Assassination Class)
The final class of the day after Practical Combat was Basics of Stealth and Assassination, the only lecture Leo had not attended even once yet, as it was only held on select few days, alternating with the Scouting, Movement and Planning class.
It was held in the basement, in a dark and damp environment, which felt unsettling. However, as if the environment was not bad enough, the instructor for this class was even worse.
Unlike the other classes, which were led by seasoned military officials or scholarly instructors, this one was conducted by someone far removed from the chains of order and discipline.
A criminal.
One who stood before them in heavy restraints, his hands bound in reinforced shackles, his legs weighed down by enchanted chainsāyet none of it seemed to suppress the twisted glee dancing in his eyes.
The instructor for this class was Severus Maximus, the infamous āNeedle Assassinā, who Rodova Military Academy had specially recruited as a teacher, to give their students the best education possible.
Severus however, was a man so dangerous, that two high-ranking military lieutenants stood guard around him at all times, monitoring his every move, as despite his bounds, he could not be trusted alone around anyone.
And yetā
Despite the chains and the guards monitoring his every move, the madness in Severusās eyes remained unaffected by his environment, as he looked at the students as if they were his prey, rather than his disciples.
"Kehā¦ heheheā¦ Kekekeke!" A wheezing, almost inhuman cackle filled the air as he began his lesson, as his odd shrill voice sent goosebumps down the spines of many.
"Hello, my little children," he cooed, his voice dripping with mock affection, his lips stretching into an unsettling grin.
"Iām Severus Maximus, also known as the āNeedle Assassin.ā Kekekeā¦." He said, as his shoulders trembled with thinly veiled excitement, as if just introducing himself was enough to send him into hysterics.
"Iām here to be your teacher for this lovely, depraved little courseā Not because I have some deep desire to share my knowledgeā¦ Oh no, no, no."
His head twitched unnaturally as he leaned forward.
"Iām here because it knocks precious, precious years off my ridiculously long jail sentenceāKekekeke!"
His laughter cracked through the air, echoing against the cold stone walls of the basement classroom, as it made many grown men break into cold sweats.
Some looked visibly unsettled. Others were outright disturbed.
But Leo?
He didnāt care.
If a man was infamous enough to earn a moniker, then his knowledge was valuable.
His mental instability? His history of crimes? None of that mattered to him, as he felt eager to learn.
"Iām sure youāre all learning the theory of assassination in your fancy military lectures, honing your combat techniques in another class, practicing your little swings and stabs like good little soldiers."
Severusās nose wrinkled in disdain, his shackles rattling as he gestured dramatically.
"Bah. Useless. Predictable. Basic." He scoffed. "Anyone with a knife and a little muscle memory can stab someone. But thatās not assassinationāthatās butchery."
He grinned wickedly, his teeth flashing in the dimly lit room.
"What Iām going to teach you is real assassination. The kind that doesnāt leave a trace."
He hugged himself, his fingers twitching against his ribs, as if reliving some dark, delightful memory.
"The art of accidents. The art of making murders look like suicide. The art of staging a murder that looks like a loversā quarrel has gone terribly, terribly wrong."
He exhaled shakily, laughing under his breath, his voice descending into an eerie whisper.
"How to make a father kill his own son in a drunken rage."
"How to make a priest die in prayer, a dagger lodged so perfectly in his throat it seemsā¦ poetic."
"How to make a corpse look like it walked into its own death willinglyāKekekeke!"
His laughter swelled again, breathless and delighted, his entire body trembling in sheer amusement, as he made the students extremely uneasy.
Some instinctively shifted away. Others dared not meet his gaze, fearful of the wild glint in his eyes, as even the lieutenants stationed beside him, who were armed to the teeth, seemed slightly uncomfortable in letting him continue with the lecture.
However, since they were under orders, and he had not done anything to break the rules, they could only bide their time in silence for now.
"Todayās lesson is about something simple. Something delightful. Somethingā¦ deadly."
He licked his lips, dragging out the words.
"Poisons."
"Iāll be teaching you how to kill with a whisper. How to end a life without ever raising a blade. How to twist the very breath in someoneās lungs and make them die thinking it was a simple cold." Severus said, as he let out a content sigh, as if savoring the beauty of his own words.
"Weāll go through types of poisons, their effects in assassination, how to brew them in the wild, and how to extract them from live creatures."
"But of courseā¦ this is all just for demonstration, kekekeā¦! If you truly value your own life, you should alwaysāalwaysābuy your poisons from a reputable vendor."
His voice dropped to a sickeningly sweet whisper.
"Unless, of course, you wish to end up like some of my past studentsā¦"
He paused.
Then, he threw his head back in laughter, the deranged, bone-chilling cackles filling the classroom once more.
As the actual lesson began.
"Letās start with something simple, yet effectiveāWeaponized Poison." Severus said, as he lifted a tiny vial containing an inky black substance, swirling it between his fingers.
"This here? A lovely little concoction called āViperās Fang.ā It kills instantly upon entering the bloodstream. A mere scratch, a single cut laced with this, and within three secondsā" He snapped his fingers, the sharp sound echoing in the silent room.
"Dead. No antidote, no counter. Just dead."
Severus chuckled, shaking his head.
"The best part? The corpse remains intact. No foam at the mouth. No violent spasms. Just a quiet, polite exit from the mortal realm." Continue your journey on NovelBin.CĆ“m
With an eerie gentleness, he uncorked the vial and dipped the tip of a dagger into it, coating the blade in the viscous liquid.
"To make it, you simply need the venom glands of a Six-Toothed Viper and the sap of a Moonshade Plant. The venom paralyzes, while the sap accelerates its spread through the body. A perfect combination."
He licked his lips.
"One scratch, and the enemy wonāt even have time to realize theyāre already a corpse."
The students swallowed hard, shifting uneasily as they realized just how deadly the knowledge being imparted was.
But Severus wasnāt done.
His grin deepened as he reached for another vial, this one filled with a clear, colorless liquid.
"Now, if instant death is tooā¦ uncreative for you, let me introduce something a bit more funāWidowās Embrace."
Unlike before, he handled this vial with reverence, almost affection, like a treasured possession.
"This little beauty is a delayed poison. Odorless. Tasteless. Undetectable in food or drink."
He tilted the vial, watching the liquid swirl.
"The victim consumes itā¦ and for the next 22 hours, they feel nothing. Not a single symptom. No dizziness, no nausea, no warning signs."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"But thenā¦ the final two hours arrive. And thatās when the fun begins."
He sighed dramatically, placing a hand on his chest as if overcome by the beauty of his own creation.
"The pain starts subtly at first. A slight burning in the stomach. Then it spreads. Within ten minutes, it feels like their organs are liquefying. Their body overheats, their veins rupture, and their nerves set ablazeāand all they can do is scream."
Severus chuckled darkly.
"Oh, and before you askāno antidote. There is no cure to it after 20 hours when itās completely absorbed into the bloodstream.
If detected early, you can use high level healing magic to prevent it from taking effect and then slowly removing it.
However, if the effects kick in, then by the time the prey realizes something is wrong. Itās already too late to save them."
His eyes flicked over the class, lingering on their expressionsāsome pale, others outright horrified.
"Now, who wants to learn how to make it?"
Silence.
Then, reluctantly, a few hands rose.
Leo, however, had already been taking notes, as he raised his hand eagerly.
Using poisons did not seem like his style, as he felt like he was more of a front-line no-nonsense fighter, however, having knowledge on the topic did not seem to be a bad thing either, as he absorbed every word coming out of Severusās mouth like a sponge.
So far, this was turning out to be his favorite class yet, as although he was doing nothing but taking notes in this class, it was by far the most informative and practical of all the other theory subjects that he studied.